See No Evil
by Tevrah
Summary: AU Hitomi has always been different. Untouchable. But when she finds herself in danger from an ancient society, she has to find the line between untouchable and untouched… VH
1. Chapter One

**_DISCLAIMER:_**** I do not own Escaflowne in any way. I just enjoy writing about it. Besides, if I did own Escaflowne, do you honestly believe I would be writing FANfiction? I didn't think so.**

(000)

Title: See No Evil

Summary: (AU) Hitomi has always been different. Untouchable. But when she finds herself in danger from an ancient society, she has to find the line between untouchable and untouched…

Author: Tevrah

A/N: Hi! Okay, I know that I really shouldn't be starting another story, but as I explain in Love Forbidden I don't know how much longer I'll be with , so I'm just posting what I had already written!

This is gonna be a great story! It takes place on modern-day earth, with most of the esca gang in attendance!

If you guys are wondering about the summary ending, let me explain. With untouchable, it means that you can never be touched. With untouched, it just means that you've never been touched. I wanted to summary to explain that she has to find the line between not being able to touch and never been touched! You'll understand better once you read the story!!

This will have the usual romance couples in it, so no worries there!

I really hope you guys like this story! So read and enjoy!

(000)

Chapter One

There just had to be a crowd.

Hitomi Kanzaki sighed in resignation. She had hoped that arriving just barely before the tardy bell rang that she would be the last one to get to school. But no, half of Aston High School had to still be lingering outside on the first day of school.

She just couldn't win.

Clutching her book bag tightly, she hunched her shoulders in defense and walked forward steadily. It wasn't that she didn't like people, but she just didn't like a lot of people in one place. It wasn't really her fault. Sometimes, erratically, she would brush against someone and see or feel something she wasn't supposed to. Her grandmother had always told her that her power of "sight" was a gift to be used for the good of life. Well, if this gift was so good, why did she want to shove it down Fate's throat?

Walking around the groups of people, she tried to make herself invisible. After a lifetime of practice she figured she should have had the ability down pat by now. Nerves made her stomach lurch and little sweat beads break out on her forehead.

_Please, please, please…_

She breathed a sigh of relief when she got to the double doors leading inside the school. She reached out to open the doors. Suddenly someone knocked her on the shoulder and she lurched to the side. _Oh, no!_

_A blond-haired girl stood in a large library. Her hands were fisted at her sides so tightly that her knuckles were white. A man with pale blond-hair stood before her with his back turned._

_"I have to get to school, Father," the girl said quietly._

_"I own the school, Millerna," the man said. "It will wait." He turned to face her. His gaze flicked over her dismissively. "You will come home directly after school today. There will be no gallivanting off with those Fassa and Schezar people. Am I clear?"_

_"But Dryden and Allen are my friends," Millerna objected._

_His gaze hardened. "Am I clear?"_

_Her eyes lowered. "Yes, Father."_

_"Good," he said. "You may go now."_

_She turned on her heel and walked away. She made it to the door when he called out from behind her. "And do something about that uniform. You look like a slut."_

_She closed her eyes and quietly walked out._

Hitomi closed her eyes tightly and gasped for breath. The sweat beads on her forehead were dripping into her open mouth and she was vaguely aware of someone asking her something. Concentrating very hard she managed to get herself under control. Taking a deep breath she slowly straightened herself and found herself looking into violet-colored concerned eyes.

"Are you all right?"

Hitomi nodded her head slowly.

"Are you sure?" Millerna inquired.

She reached out to touch her arm, but Hitomi quickly flinched away. Millerna's hand dropped to her side. "Are you sure?" she asked again. "You look really pale and you're sweating."

"I'm fine," Hitomi croaked. She winced and cleared her throat. "I'm fine," she said again in a much clearer voice. "I was feeling a little sick, but I'm okay now."

Millerna narrowed her eyes in concern, but said nothing else about it. "Sorry for running into you," she said. "I just don't want to be late."

Hitomi managed a small smile and nod. Millerna smiled back and gave a small wave as she slipped inside. Hitomi took a deep breath and bracing her weight against the wall, she thought about her vision.

Millerna Aston was the most popular girl in school. Her father, Aaron Aston, owned about a fourth of Japan, including Aston High. Who would have thought that he was such a horrible person?

Pity swelled inside her chest as Hitomi thought about the last thing he said to Millerna about how she looked. At least her own parents ignored her instead of shooting her down. Hitomi closed her eyes briefly and sighed. Guilt began to nag her. It wasn't any of her business what went on at the Aston home. But it couldn't be helped. The least she could do now was keep it to herself.

Opening her eyes and glancing at her watch Hitomi gave a small sound of distress. She was going to be late!

She made it to her first period class just as the bell rang. The teacher wasn't even at his desk. She gave a mental sigh of relief. At least she wouldn't have to explain about being late on the first day of school of senior year. She was sure she would be late many other times, though.

Some of the students were clustered together, still talking of their summer. Seeing an empty desk in the middle of the last line of desks she made her way there and quickly settled down. The door slid opened and a tall gray-haired man walked inside. He carried a brown briefcase and wore what looked to be an expensive suit and red silk tie. He sat the briefcase on the desk and turned to address the class.

"Good morning, class," he said pleasantly. "My name is Dr. Isaac Dornkirk and I'll be your new Biology teacher. I've just transferred here from America, so I hope we can all get along for this school year." He opened his briefcase and took out a piece of paper. "Now, let's all get aquatinted. When I call your name simply stand up and tell us a bit about what you want to do after school. Aston, Millerna."

Millerna stood up from where she sat in the front of the room and gave a small smile.

"What would you like to do after you graduate?" Dr. Dornkirk asked.

"I'm going to go to Europe for a year, travel around for a while," she said. "But after that I'm not really sure."

"Very good," Dr. Dornkirk said. He propped his hip on the edge of his desk. "I've been to Europe myself. You'll enjoy it. Quite fascinating."

He looked at his paper again as Millerna sat down. "Fanel, Van."

A black-haired boy stood up and stuck his hands in his pockets. "I'm not really sure what I'm going to do after graduation. Thinking about college."

Dr. Dornkirk nodded as the boy sat down. "Kanzaki, Hitomi."

Hitomi took a deep breath and stood up. She brushed her ponytail from her shoulder. "I'm going to go to college in Sakata."

"What will you be majoring in?" Dr. Dornkirk asked politely.

Hitomi shrugged. "I was thinking about teaching or journalism. I'm not really sure yet."

He nodded his head and she sat down. Then he narrowed his eyes at the paper and looked at her again. "Well, I'll be. You're the spitting image of her. Iris Kanzaki was your grandmother, wasn't she?"

Hitomi nodded in confusion. Dr. Dornkirk smiled. "I knew your grandmother when she was about your age. I was sorry to hear about her passing. She was a wonderful woman. Truly one of a kind."

Hitomi nodded and swallowed against the lump in her throat. The topic of her grandmother was still soft for her. She had been gone for almost two years now, but Hitomi still missed her desperately.

Dornkirk continued on with the list and Hitomi tuned him out. How did he know her grandmother? She had never been to America, at least not that she had told Hitomi.

Hitomi remembered her grandmother as the anchor in her storm when the visions would attack her relentlessly. A calm that her own parents hadn't been able to provide. For the first eight years of her life she had practically lived with her grandmother in Sakata.

That was until her parents discovered her visions and hadn't let her see her grandmother again except for supervised visits. As if that would make the visions stop.

Laughter interrupted her thoughts. The class was laughing at Dr. Dornkirk's exclamation about the three Schezar siblings. There were three of them. Allen, Amono, and Celena. They always ended up having their first periods together even though Celena was a year younger than her twin brothers. Their parents owned a popular dojo where Allen taught.

Hitomi smiled slightly. Dornkirk moved on down the list with a shake of his head. Finally he reached the last name on the list. "Uchida, Yukari."

"What do you want to do?" he asked.

She gave him a big smile. "I have absolutely no idea!" she said cheerfully.

The class chuckled at her and Amono wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her forehead.

Dornkirk smiled. "All right, nothing wrong with that at all." He stood up once more and put the paper back in his briefcase. "Now, I'm supposed to hand out these rule sheets, but I think we can just skip to the important parts. My rules are very simple and easy to follow. Respect me and I'll respect you. You can eat, I don't mind; just don't make a mess of it. But there will be no eating in the lab when we get started Friday. Any questions?"

No one had any.

"Good," Dornkirk said. "Now, let's get started. The reason I became a Biology teacher was because even as a child I was always fascinated in the human species and what we've evolved from and could evolve to. For example, most scientists believe that at one time there was nothing but bacteria and then there was a big bang and life was formed. That theory is aptly named the Big Bang Theory.

Now you may believe different. Myself, I believe that there are many different possibilities and I never settle on just one. I've always thought that it was a bit presumptuous to study just one theory when there are so many exciting and different theory out there waiting to be discovered."

He walked to the marker board and began to draw a cell. "A cell is what your body is made of. There are many different types of cells such as bacteria cells, red blood cells, white blood cells, and so on. For now, we're not going to specify, we're just going to learn the different parts of a cell and what can happen if you have to many or too little."

The class ended an hour and a half later. Hitomi slowly put her notebook away and waited for the students to leave. Shouldering her pack, she nervously walked up to Dr. Dornkirk's desk. He looked up from his paper and gave her a smile.

"Hello, Hitomi," he said. "What did you think of the class?"

"It was very good," she said honestly. "I liked it."

"Good, good," Dornkirk said. "Did you have any questions?"

She started to shake her head, and then changed her mind. "Actually, I was wondering something. You know how you said that if you have too many cells, then an abnormality can be formed in your body?"

Dornkirk nodded.

She took a deep breath. "Well, I was just wondering, I mean, just say you have too many cells in your brain or something, could you have an…ability that no one in the world has?"

"Well, that depends on the ability," Dornkirk said. "Do you mean like the ability to draw or something less explored, like the ability to tell the future or see into the past?"

Her eyes widened and she nodded stiffly. "More like the second one, I guess."

"The ability to see into the future or past is what we scientists like to call the undiscovered or unknown ability," he answered, leaning back in his chair. "The truth of the matter is that in the future it's likely everyone will have some type of ability—such as second sight—that we believe nearly impossible right now. The human body is always changing, Hitomi. Some bodies may change more rapidly than others, so, yes, I would definitely say that if a person's cells evolve to that capacity in this day and age that person will have the ability to do something no one else can."

Hitomi swallowed and nodded. "Thank you, Dr. Dornkirk."

He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his desk. "Tell me something, Hitomi. Do you believe in the existence of second sight?"

She shrugged uncomfortably. "I guess so, I mean anything's possible. I was just curious, is all."

He nodded. "Indeed. If it weren't for curious minds the world would still be stuck in the Stone Age. Was there anything else you wanted to know?"

She shook her head. "No, sir."

He nodded to her. "Very well, you had better get going, then. You wouldn't want to be late for your next class."

She bowed respectfully. "Good day, sir."

"Good day, Hitomi."

(000)

School ended at 3:00pm on the dot. Teachers and students alike were more than happy to leave when the bell rang. First days of school were always awkward, trying to get to know your teacher, your classes, and sometimes getting to know new people. Hitomi hated it. But after the first week or two everything sort of went into a routine that Hitomi liked.

For starters, she would wake up every morning at seven o'clock, get dressed, wait until her brother and parents had left, then go downstairs and eat breakfast. She would leave at a quarter till eight o'clock and arrive at school at three minutes until the tardy bell rang. She would go to her classes and sit by herself, eat lunch under an abandoned tree that faced the street, and then return to her classes five minutes earlier than the rest of the students.

After school, when the bell rang, she would wait until ten after three to leave the building and would walk home as quickly as she could, usually arriving home at 3:17pm. She would go to her room and do her homework until 5:30pm. Then she would go downstairs and fix her some supper. She would eat, then carry a light snack up to her room with her at 6:30pm, where she would hear her parents and brother return home.

Then she would spend the rest of the night in her room or on the roof, reading or watching television. Most of the time she fell asleep on the roof after stargazing the night away.

She liked her routine. She stayed out of her family's way, and they stayed out of hers. If she were to die, she figured it would take them about three to six months to figure out she was dead. It didn't bother her, though. It had been like that her whole life and she'd stopped wondering why her parents didn't love her a long time ago. Now it hardly mattered.

She made it home exactly on time without any snags. The answering machine was blinking, but she left it alone. It was probably for her parents anyway. She went directly to her room, as scheduled and didn't come out until 6:00.

She went to the fridge and took out the rest of the pizza that her mom had cooked last night. After eating, she grabbed a light snack and headed back to her room just as she heard a car pull into the drive. She smiled at her door as she heard her brother's voice. He was always so excited after the first day of school.

A small knock sounded on her door.

"Come in, Marmou," she said softly.

The door opened and an eight-year-old blond-hair little boy took one step inside. "Hey, Hito," he said with a smile.

She smiled back at him. "Hello, Marmou. How was your first day?"

"It was great," he said enthustiatically. "My new teacher Mrs. Byneese said we're going to take a field trip this year to an animal farm in the country. Mom and Dad already said I could go."

"That's great, Marmou," Hitomi said sincerely. "I happy for you."

"Dad said I could join karate and football," he continued, "but Mom said only if I took dance lessons, too."

She smiled at the face he made. "Dance lessons will be good for you. One day you're going to want to impress a girl and you'll take her dancing."

"Ew!" he said. "I don't wanna impress a girl! Girls are yucky! They have cooties!"

Hitomi gave a soft laugh. "Don't worry, we grow out of them."

"Marmou!"

Hitomi and her brother turned to find Mrs. Kanzaki standing slightly behind Marmou with her hands on her hips. "You're supposed to be washing for supper. Now go wash."

"Yes, ma'am," he said sullenly. He spared Hitomi a quick smile and small wave as he left.

Hitomi's returning smile faded as she met her mother's eyes. Her mother grabbed the doorknob so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Finally, when she couldn't stand it any longer, her mother turned her eyes away and firmly shut the door.

Hitomi simply picked up her new romance novel and began to read from where she had left off the night before.

(000)

The next day at school Hitomi was settled into her desk just as the bell rang. Dr. Dornkirk gave her a small smile and took the roll call. He put the paper away and stood up.

"All right," he began. "Today we're going to get teamed up with lab partners. I know we haven't even been into the lab yet, but these people will be your best friends for the rest of this school year. I'm pairing boy/girl, boy/girl, and I want you to all try and get along."

He took out another piece of paper and looked at it. "The first pair will be Ms. Aston and…Mr. Fassa." He looked at them over the rims of his glasses. "Will that be all right?"

The nodded and he moved on. "Uchida and Schezar, um, that's Amono. The last Schezar will be paired together. Let's see…Ms. Kanzaki, you'll be paired with…Mr. Fanel." He looked at them. "Is that all right?"

They both shrugged. He gave an amused smile and shook his head before moving on to the next on the list. It only took fifteen minutes for everyone to be assigned to their partner.

"All right," Dr. Dornkirk said, rubbing his hands together. "Let's go to the lab."

The students piled into the room next door. "I want everyone to sit with their partners, so there won't be any fuss," Dornkirk said.

Hitomi chose a seat at the front of the room so she could see everything that was going on. She looked over when her partner sat down beside her. He turned his face toward her and she froze. His eyes were the darkest brown she had ever seen in her life. His hair looked like he had tried to brush it, but to no luck.

He stuck out a hand. "Hi. I'm Van Fanel."

She looked at his hand warily and slowly raised her hand to his. She waited for the searing pain that accompanied a vision to come, but nothing happened. When they separated, she looked at him, amazed.

He gave her a quick grin as one of his raven locks fell on his forehead. "What's the matter? Never shook hands with someone before?"

She shook her head. "No," she said honestly.

His eyebrow arched as he looked at her quizzically, but Dr. Dornkirk began to speak before he could comment on her answer.

"Now, that everyone's been introduced to their partners," he said, "I want to just go over a few basic parts of the lab. Now, the equipment isn't out right now, but when it is, you are to wear your coats, gloves, and protective glasses at all times. You'll find all of that stuff in the closet to your left. When you finish with your tools for the day, you'll dispose of your gloves, and stash your coat and glasses in the compartment under your lab tables.

The disposal bin is the large trash can with the big recycle sign on it at the back of the class and there's another at the front of the class." He looked around at the class. "Is there any questions?"  
No one said anything.

"Good," he said. "Now, let's get started."

(000)

Hitomi waited until the house was completely dark and her digital clock flashed _11:30pm_. Then, quietly, she got out of bed and opened her window. There was something she just had to check out. Something that had been nagging at her all day long.

She had touched someone and hadn't received a vision.

What did that mean? Was she cured? Could she touch people now? What was going on? There was only one way to find out. Creeping across the roof, she slowly shimmied down to look in her brother's cracked window. He was sound asleep.

As quietly as she could, she pushed the window open some more until she could fit her small body through. Silently walking to her brother's bed, she stared at his sleeping figure. He looked like a cherub in his sleep. He was absolutely adorable.

Leaning down, she brushed her lips across his forehead. At first nothing happened and a bubble of joy began to grow inside of her. Then a sharp pain engulfed her.

_Marmou and Mr. and Mrs. Kanzaki sat at the dining room table eating._

_"…and I told Mrs. Bynees that I really like sports, so she said I should talk to Coach Aylen to see if I could try out for something," Marmou chattered on._

_His parents smiled at him. "Well, that sounds all right," Mr. Kanzaki said, "as long as it doesn't effect your grades."_

_"And as long as you take dance lessons," Mrs. Kanzaki interjected with a smile._

_Marmou scrunched up his nose. "I don't really wanna take dancing lessons, but Hito says that one day I'll impress a girl if I know how to dance. I told her that girls have cooties, but she said that they grow out of it. Is that true?"_

_He looked to his parents for an answer. Mr. and Mrs. Kanzaki exchanged a cautious look. Mr. Kanzaki put down his glass and cleared his throat. "Marmou," he began, "your mother told me that you went to see Hitomi when we got home this afternoon. What have we told you about your sister?"_

_"That she's dangerous and that she could hurt me," Marmou answered in his child-like way. "But she's so nice. I really like her, Daddy. And she's never done anything bad to me."_

_"It doesn't matter that she hasn't done anything to you," his mother answered. "She _could_ do something, and that's why we don't want you to see her without one of us there. Is that understood?"_

_"But—"_

_His mother cut him off with a glance. "Is that understood, young man?"_

_Marmou sighed and nodded. "Yes, ma'am."_

_She smiled at him. "Good. Now eat everything that's on your plate, and I'll see what I can do for desert."_

_Marmou perked up. "Chocolate pudding with strawberries on top?"_

_His parents smiled at him. "Maybe."_

_He dove into his food with a vengeance._

Hitomi jerked back into reality and staggered to the corner of the room. She slid down to the floor and took gasping breaths. Her frame shook from the impact of the vision. Something wet hit her hand and she slowly touched her face.

She was crying. She never cried. Never.

Hearing footsteps outside the door, she quickly jumped up and went out through the window, making sure to crack it again. Sitting on the roof, she heard someone come into his room.

"Goodnight, Marmou. I love you," her mother's voice floated up to her and the sound of the door closing followed it.

Hitomi set on the roof for a while after that, thinking over what she had tried to do. Why had she attempted something as foolish as what she had done? Her parent's were right. She was dangerous and she could hurt someone.

She started to climb back in her bedroom window, then turned back and spoke to the one person she knew would love her forever. "Goodnight, Grandma. I love you." __

(000)

For two weeks, nothing else in Hitomi's routine was shaken. She arrived at school exactly when she meant to and arrived home exactly when she was supposed to. She made no detours before or after the set times. She didn't sneak into Marmou's room again and vowed never to try and touch him again for as long as she lived.

She was different, and she was okay with it. She had to be.

On Friday of the second week, Hitomi walked home without any books to weigh down her book pack. Her parents and brother were going away for the weekend. She knew she should have felt sad that she was being left behind or relieved that she wouldn't have to try and hide from them at night or in the morning. But the simple truth was, she didn't feel anything at all.

She loved her brother to death. She would do anything for him and often wished she could hug him. With her parents, however, she didn't feel anything at all. The only person she had ever been able to share things with had been her grandmother, but she was gone, so Hitomi was on her own.

Adjusting her book pack on her shoulders she walked past the Diamond Bookstore at a slower rate than normal. With the house being empty, she didn't see the need to hurry.

Suddenly, something dark entered her mind. Before she could do anything, a hand gripped her long hair and jerked her head back. Even as the knife touched her skin, a scream gathered in her throat.

To be continued…

Well, let me know what you think!!


	2. Chapter Two

Okay, I have the perfect excuse as to why I didn't update earlier: **HURRICANE IVAN**. Have you heard of it? Because if you have then you know that it was a category four and it made landfall like thirty miles from where I live! We were out of electricity for four days and I didn't get the computer back until later. AND I just got the Internet back yesterday! So you can't blame me for this one!!

Now, Thanks for all of the reviews! I can hopefully get to all of them soon! ::crosses fingers::

Okay, some of the characters, like Allen and Van, might seem a little out of character, but I just want to make the fact that they're really good friends come across and it'll help for other chapters as well!

And I'm really trying to get all of the chapters wrote and put up, but I just got a job, I'm in homeschool, and things are just really, really, really hectic around here lately!! So please bear with me!! Thanks!

Here's hoping you enjoy the chapter!!

(000)

Chapter Two

She was dragged back into a shadowed ally. She was frozen; even the scream had stopped halfway in her throat and couldn't move any higher. She felt the knife's cool tip against her skin and fear consumed her. She was thrown against the wall and suddenly the knife was in her line of sight.

A man with a ski mask covering his face held the knife. Two other men with ski masks on stood behind him. "Don't scream," the man ordered in a silky voice. "Don't even breathe."

Hitomi began to shake as the man waved his knife in front of her face. One of the men in the background gripped the man's shoulder. "She's not to be harmed. He wants her alive."

"I know how he wants her!" the man with the knife said in a hard voice. "But he didn't say we couldn't have a little fun first." He gave a soft giggle as he returned his attention to her. "Yes, let's have some fun." He traced the knife down her cheek and she gave a small whimper.

"Hey!"

All four people turned to see three men in the ally. In her fogged mind, Hitomi recognized them from school. It was Van, Allen, and Amono.

"Shouldn't three idiots such as yourselves be in the circus?" Amono called out.

The man with the knife seemed to come alive with anger. He threw the knife at Amono, but he simply ducked. The masked man turned to the other two men standing behind him. "Get them, idiots!"

The two men seemed to come out of their momentary stupor and charged forward. Allen and Amono engaged them in hand-to-hand as Van ducked and ran forward to fight the third man.

"You really shouldn't pick on someone smaller than you," he said lightly.

"Oh, and why is that?" the man sneered. "Because you tell me not to?"

"No," Van said calmly, "because it upsets me."

He moved forward so quickly, Hitomi strained to see him. The next thing she knew, she was being pushed aside and Van had the man slammed against the wall. The knife clattered to the ground. She stared at it as the man pushed Van back and the two of them began to fight.

Crouching down slowly, she couldn't take her gaze from the knife. Blurred images raced on the reflection of the metal. She reached out, hesitated, and then touched the knife with her fingertips. The vision came in a rush.

The three masked men stood in the ally, waiting for Hitomi to walk by. They knew that she would be walking more slowly than usual. She was all alone for the weekend.

They needed her. They needed her alive. He wouldn't be pleased if she was damaged in any way. He had to have her. He had to. Without her all those years of waiting and planning would be wasted. She was the one. She would make everything possible. She was the goddess; she was the first.

She came out of the vision feeling nauseated and lightheaded. She couldn't breathe. Such a feeling of evil had come from the knife. She dimly felt someone's hand on her shoulder and she raised her head high enough to look up.

Van's dark brown eyes were the last things she saw.

(000)

Hitomi groaned and rolled over in bed. Thank Kami it was the weekend. She could sleep as long as she liked and there was no schedule to adhere to that would make her have to get up earlier than she liked. She opened her eyes to see what time it was.

She had to blink her eyes twice to make the blurriness go away. _What in the world?_ She sat up quickly and looked around. The covers fell away. She was sitting on a pallet-bed in a beige square room.

She looked down and saw that her shirt was unbuttoned. She quickly buttoned it back up and stood up. Brushing her hair from her face she also noted that someone had taken her hair down as well.

Quietly padding to the door she saw her socks and shoes and quickly bent down and put them on. She slid the door open and stuck her head out. It was dark outside, but she could see the beautiful small pond and bridge with the trees and flowers growing around it. The moonlight was reflected on the pond's surface casting a bright glow onto the door.

Turning her head right and left, she slowly stepped outside and closed the door quietly behind her. She didn't know where she was or where she was going, but she just turned left and began to walk.

As she turned a corner, there were small oil-lamps lit on the walls, each one meticulously designed as those from ancient times. The light slashed across paintings of ancient demons and goddesses.

One picture showed of a battle between a huge demon with nothing but a shadow for a body and red glowing eyes that were filled with malice and hate.

A figure in white stood across from the demon atop a small mountainside so that she could be level with the demon. The sky over the demon was gray, while the sky over the goddess was pure white, shining brightly. So brightly, in fact, that the eyes of the goddess weren't painted, just the light.

The two deities' lights met in the middle, captured by the artist to be stuck that way for all eternity until either the demon or the goddess wins.

Hitomi felt that it was a great portrayal of inner struggles against the shadow inside of yourself and the light. The title of the portrait was written in gold letters on the frame of the picture.

_See No Evil_

Hitomi shivered slightly and rubbed her hands up and down over her arms. She forced herself to turn away from the picture and continued following the lights down the hallway. She didn't stop to look at any more pictures.

Soon, after a moment or two more of walking, she began to hear soft sounds that resembled grunts and…swords? She followed the sounds and stopped at another doorway just like the one she had walked out of minutes before. Slowly, hesitantly, she slid the door open and stepped inside. She stopped cold and her eyes widened. Two men were dressed in some kind of armor and were fighting with swords as if their lives depended on it. She couldn't seem to move or speak; she could only watch the two fight.

The lights in the room always seemed to flicker away from their forms, leaving them to fight in the dark, but they seemed to be used to it. They moved gracefully, almost like some kind of song. Their form, from what she knew of martial arts, was completely in sync with each other. Their shadows danced on the floor and walls, making the room look as though ghosts were locked in an ancient epic battle.

One of the men looked her way and Hitomi felt her eyes go wide as she recognized him to be Van Fanel. As she looked at the other man, she remembered him, as well. He was Allen Schezar. What in the world was going on? Where was she?

The two men bowed to one another and took off their armor. Allen took his and Van's to another room in the back and Van walked over to her. He must have seen her confusion on her face, because he gave her a slight grin. "Glad to see you're up," he said. "We were wondering if you were going to awake or if we needed to get you to the hospital."

She shook her head and seemed to come back to herself. She cleared her throat. "No—I mean, yes, I'm fine," she stuttered and cleared her throat again. "I don't need to go to the hospital. Are you okay?" she asked, remembering that it had been he and Allen and Amono who had saved her from the men in the ally.

"We're fine," he reassured her as Allen walked up to them. He gave a slight bow to Hitomi and smiled.

"My name is Allen Schezar, I am glad to see that you are well," he greeted formally.

Van rolled his eyes and gave Hitomi a smile. "He does that to every female he meets. Like that line actually works. And besides," he said to Allen in almost-exasperation, "she already knows who you are."

"What my small-brained friend doesn't understand, though, is that I haven't had the pleasure of actually meeting you," Allen responded. "It's a pity, really, that no one stops to express chivalry any longer in this day and age."

"Whatever," Van said. He turned back to Hitomi. "Are you sure you're okay? I mean you still look a little shaken up."

She wasn't shaken up; she was confused. They were talking and joking with her like they were all old friends. She had never been spoken to like that before. It made her have a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Um, I'm fine," she said again. "Thanks for saving me. I'm glad you didn't get hurt or, um, anything." She was stuttering again. Why couldn't she seem to stop?

If they noticed her sudden speech impairment, they chose to ignore it, to which she was very thankful.

"I'm sure your parents must be very worried," Allen was saying. "We tried to look for some kind of identification, but could find none. If you wish to call them and let them know that you are safe, I would be happy to show you where the main office is for some privacy."

"Um, no," Hitomi said. Even if her parents were home, they wouldn't care. They'd probably be glad to get rid of the freak that shadowed their perfect world. "I don't have anyone to call. My family is out of town for the weekend."

Allen nodded. "Very well, then shall we have some tea? It will help you to feel better."

"No, thank you," Hitomi said. "I really don't want to be any more of a bother. If you'll just show me where my things are, I'll be on my way."

"Nonsense," Allen said smoothly. "I insist that you share a cup of tea with us. It will help us to feel better about your state of health."

"Trust me," Van broke in. "You don't want to argue with him about his tea. The man can get a bit homicidal where health is concerned. He doesn't even drink coffee, just herbal tea. So you might as well agree."

"Um…"

What the hell, she thought. Maybe just this once.

"Okay, but just one cup," she agreed.

Allen nodded and reached to take her arm. She quickly shifted her weight and hoped that he wouldn't be offended. He merely carried on as if he hadn't reached for her in the first place. He led them through another door to the side of the room and out into the moonlight again. It truly was beautiful seeing the light reflecting on the water and the lily pads floating carelessly on the surface with the fish swimming silently below.

They walked over the small bridge and Hitomi noticed that the wood had engravings on it that must have taken years to complete. It was beautifully designed and crafted.

Allen led them to another small building and slid open the door. This room had designs of cranes and cherry blossoms across the walls and a beautiful dark-haired woman dressed in ancient Japanese robes painted on the ceiling. It the middle was a small table with large cushions for them to sit on.

"If the two of you will just wait right here, I'll be right back with our tea," Allen suggested and was gone, leaving Van and Hitomi alone.

Van walked over to the cushions and plopped down, propping his bare feet on the pillow next to him. Hitomi slipped out of her shoes and sat down as well, but with a bit more reserve. Silence stretched out. It didn't seem to be bothering him--he had his eyes closed and his hands behind his head—but it was suffocating to her.

"Um," she wanted to break the silence. "Thanks for saving me again. Not a lot of people would do that."

He didn't open his eyes but shrugged. "They were probably just some thieves thinking they had found an easy mark. No offense or anything, but a young woman walking alone, well, you know the rest."

Yes, she did. But she remembered the deep emotion of the knife, and knew that they hadn't been thieves.

They lapsed back into silence so she spoke up again. "So this is the famous dojo I'm always hearing about. It's very nice."

"Yeah, it's been apart of Tokyo for more than six hundred years." There was pride in his voice, and something else, something she couldn't name.

Before she could try and figure out what it was, the door slid open and Allen walked in with a tray. He set it down on the table and walked back to close the door.

When he came back he set glasses in front of Van and Hitomi and himself and poured the hot tea. When he was finished he kicked Van in the legs until the other boy set up with a sigh and sat down across from Hitomi.

"So, Hitomi," he said, "I understand that you were partnered with Van here—you poor thing—to do our science experiments in Biology. How's it going?"

She took a sip of her tea and set it back down before answering. "It's going okay, I guess, we haven't really done anything major, but I really like the class."

"I do, as well," Allen said. "I find that the study of the human body is a fascinating and complex thing to learn, but out new teacher seems to be making it come across quite well. I think I'm much more interested in Biology this year than last."

"Or you could just be gay," Van said smartly with a smirk.

Hitomi choked on the tea she was swallowing, but Allen just rolled his eyes. He slapped Van in the back of the head and handed Hitomi a napkin. "You mustn't pay any mind to him, he's an idiot."

Van rubbed the back of his head and glared at Allen, but when he turned his eyes to Hitomi, they were full of laughter. Hitomi gave a small smile in return.

An hour later, Hitomi was putting on her coat and grabbing her backpack. She found herself wishing she could stay for just a little longer, but she knew that if she got too comfortable, she might let her shields down and see something she wasn't supposed to.

"Thanks again, for saving me," she said, "and for the tea. It was good."

"You are most welcome," Allen said and gave a slight bow. "I wish you safety on your journey home."

"She'll be fine," Van interjected. He was putting on his coat and grabbing his things, as well. "Seeing as I'll be walking with her."

Alarm went through her. "What? You don't have to do that," she said quickly. "I can get home by myself."

"I know," Van said, "but you might get in trouble again on the way home and I wouldn't be there to save you again."

"But it's probably out of your way," Hitomi tried again. "I live on Blossom Lane."

"Well, that's just perfect," Allen said with a smile. "Van lives only a ten minute walk from Blossom Lane. Seeing as you both are going the same way, it would only be natural to walk together."

Hitomi opened her mouth, and then closed it. Fine. Let them do what they wanted to do. It wasn't like she could stop them.

"Great," Van said. "Let's get going then."

They said their goodbyes to Allen and walked out the front gates, Van locking it behind him. They walked in silence down the street until Van spoke. "You didn't take me seriously about what I said about Allen being gay or anything, did you?"

She shook her head, and then looked at him. "He's not, is he?"

Van let out a laugh. "No. He has a girlfriend, she's just in America visiting some of her family."

"Then why did you make that remark?" she wanted to know.

"We always joke like that," he replied. "It's just always for a laugh, and then we forget about it."

She nodded slowly. "Allen seems to be older than seventeen," she commented.

"He's going to be nineteen in a few months," Van said. "When he was ten he was in a really bad car accident and he spent a year relearning the uses of his limbs."

"Sounds really bad."

"He almost died," Van said soberly.

"Well, I glad he's all right," Hitomi said. "He's seems really nice."

"He is," Van said fondly. "He's just a bit too health conscious."

They turned the corner and passed by Brookdon Avenue. They were only two streets from Blossom Lane. "Hey, what did you mean that you had never shook hands before?" he suddenly asked.

"Huh?" she asked quietly. Oh, no, she thought. He knew something was up.

"The first time we met you said that you had never shaken hands before. How come?"

"I just, um, I don't meet a lot of new people," she said and quickened her pace.

"Whoa!" Van said, lengthening his stride. "Okay, drop subject, gotcha."

She slowed down into a walk again.

"I didn't mean to be rude or nosy or anything," he said conversationally. "I was just curious."

"Like I said," she responded. "I just don't meet a lot of people."

He shrugged. "Okay."

They reached Blossom Lane and stopped. "Thanks for walking me," Hitomi said.

"I'll walk you to your door," he insisted.

"That's all right," she said. "I can make it."

"Come on," he said with a smile. "If you can take all that crap Allen spews out, then you can at least let me walk you to the door. For my sake."

She sighed and nodded. "All right." They began to walk down the lane.

"You know," Van said. "You're a pretty strange girl."

She nodded again, this time downheartedly. "I know."

"I mean that as a compliment," Van said. "It's good to be strange. Too many people these days want to look like someone else, be someone else."

"Maybe they have good reason to want to be different than they are," Hitomi said softly.

"Nah," Van shook his head. "If people would just be happy with who they are, then so many people wouldn't be unhappy."

She shrugged. They stopped in front of her house and she got out her key. She put it in the lock and opened the door. She reached a hand in for the light switch, wondering if she was supposed to invite him in or something. Then she gasped in surprise as the light filled the house. "What…"

The house had been completely vandalized. Books were thrown on the floor carelessly, and the bookshelves had been turned over along with the coffee table. The couch and chairs had rips in them like someone had taken a knife to them.

And then a loud thump came from upstairs.

Well, what did you guys think? I hope you liked it!!


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